South China Sea: Second Thomas Shoal war of words heats up as Beijing gives ‘details’ of resupply deal with Manila
- Chinese embassy in Manila lauds ‘new model’ for Second Thomas Shoal supply missions ‘approved by Philippine chain of command’
- Philippine leaders and officials have consistently denied agreeing on any such deal with China
In a statement published on Saturday, the Chinese embassy in Manila gave some details of what it called “a new model for management” of the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef that is part of the Spratly Islands chain also claimed by China as the Nansha Islands.
Called Renai Jiao by China, the shoal controlled by Manila has been at the centre of a series of recent stand-offs, with the Chinese coastguard accused of ramming and using water cannons on Philippine supply vessels.
“To de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea, the Chinese side and the Philippine side … agreed on a ‘new model’ for the management of the situation at Renai Jiao early this year after multiple rounds of discussion,” the embassy said.
It said the new model had been “approved by all key officials in the Philippine chain of command”, including Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and national security adviser Eduardo Ano, and records of the negotiations were kept by China “in every detail”.
The deal was also discussed at a meeting between Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian and Teodoro last July, “when the two sides exchanged views on military ties and maritime issues”, the embassy statement added.